Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qairawan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Qairawan: $1,282 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Qairawan
🇰🇼 Kuwait
$1,282
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Qairawan and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Qairawan and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,282 per month in Qairawan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Qairawan $1,282
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,101 per month in Qairawan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Qairawan $2,101
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,920 per month in Qairawan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Qairawan $2,920
  • Nosara $3,818

Qairawan is about 30% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Qairawan sits 5% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Qairawan
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.23 KWD 2.54
$12.35 ₡5,539
-33.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.6 KWD 17.45
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-7.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.21 KWD 2.22
$7.52 ₡3,373
-4.12%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.01 KWD 0.93
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 KWD 1.06
-
-
Cappuccino
$5.46 KWD 1.68
$4.41 ₡1,978
23.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 KWD 0.16
$1.74 ₡780
-69.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 KWD 0.10
$1.31 ₡587
-76.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.28 ₡1,471
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.47 ₡2,004
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Qairawan
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 KWD 0.38
$1.56 ₡701
-19.87%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 KWD 0.27
$3.02 ₡1,355
-71.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.09 KWD 0.65
$2.51 ₡1,125
-16.73%
Eggs
$1.83 KWD 0.56
$3.57 ₡1,603
-48.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.45 KWD 1.37
$7.43 ₡3,333
-40.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.07 KWD 1.87
$10.52 ₡4,717
-42.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.29 KWD 3.17
$13.97 ₡6,265
-26.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.20 KWD 0.68
$2.35 ₡1,052
-6.38%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 KWD 0.63
$1.61 ₡720
26.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.39 KWD 0.43
$4.80 ₡2,152
-71.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.46 KWD 0.45
$1.61 ₡724
-9.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.44 KWD 0.44
$3.80 ₡1,703
-62.11%
Onion (1kg)
$0.86 KWD 0.26
$3.69 ₡1,657
-76.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.77 KWD 0.54
$1.13 ₡507
56.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 KWD 0.15
$2.66 ₡1,191
-81.20%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.94 KWD 0.91
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 KWD 0.28
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 KWD 0.44
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 KWD 0.73
$5.18 ₡2,321
-54.25%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$19.88 ₡8,916
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.90 ₡1,300
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.63 ₡1,626
-
🚌 Getting Around
Qairawan
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 KWD 0.24
$1.12 ₡504
-29.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 KWD 0.93
$2.14 ₡958
41.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.08 KWD 0.95
$1.57 ₡703
96.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.48 KWD 5.38
$8.52 ₡3,823
105.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.36 KWD 0.11
$1.52 ₡682
-76.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.1K KWD 6,797
$21.6K ₡9.7M
2.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.4K KWD 5,366
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-49.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qairawan
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$56.6 KWD 17.43
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-41.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.64 KWD 6.98
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-36.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.25 KWD 9.32
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-43.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Qairawan
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$104 KWD 31.90
$71.6 ₡32.1K
44.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.92 KWD 3.06
$7.89 ₡3,539
25.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Qairawan
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$241 KWD 74.2
$494 ₡221.6K
-51.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,023 KWD 2,164
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-40.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Qairawan
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.14 KWD 10.52
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-36.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.91 KWD 10.45
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-38.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.7 KWD 30.40
$77.9 ₡34.9K
26.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.5 KWD 28.19
$79.6 ₡35.7K
14.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Qairawan
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$826 KWD 254
$788 ₡353.4K
4.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$588 KWD 181
$794 ₡356.2K
-25.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,625 KWD 501
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-58.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,229 KWD 379
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-13.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Qairawan
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.53
8.62
-24.25%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Qairawan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Qairawan
$588
Nosara
$794 35% $206
Groceries & Markets
Qairawan
$167
Nosara
$352 112% $186
Eating Out
Qairawan
$156
Nosara
$212 35.4% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Qairawan
$123
Nosara
$87 29.2% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Qairawan
$116
Nosara
$120 3.4% $3.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qairawan
$109
Nosara
$186 69.7% $76
Getting Around
Qairawan
$22 *
Nosara
$87 304% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $826 in Qairawan versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Qairawan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $352 – making Qairawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇼 Qairawan
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
21:30 9:30 PM
12:30 12:30 PM
9 h behind Qairawan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
💱 Currency
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Qairawan Nosara 13,390 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Qairawan
  • Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Qairawan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Qairawan and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,282 in Qairawan, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Qairawan compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,923 per month in Qairawan and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Qairawan and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Qairawan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Qairawan and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 111% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Qairawan, where all-in costs run around $1,282, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Qairawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Qairawan and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,282 in Qairawan to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Qairawan or Nosara safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Qairawan and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Qairawan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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